Towing-indicator.



-66. 636,699. Patenied Nov. 7, I899. c. w. SHAW.

TOWING INDICATOR.

(Applia-tiou filed July 17, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

6N0 Modem" THE uonms FEYERS cu. PMOTO-UTHD.. WASHINGTON, u. c.

no. 636,696. Pafent'e d Nov. 7, I899. c. W.'SHAW.

TOWING INDICATOR.

7 (Application filed July L7, 1899.) (No Modal-1 2. She et&8.he&t 2,

THE NORRIS Farms 00., wm'uumu. wAsmvm-mm n. c.

A UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W". SHAW, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALFTO JULIAN L. VAN THUYNE, OF SAME PLACE.

TOWING-.INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 636,699, datedNovember '7, 1899.

Application filed July 17, 1899.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. SHAW, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain and Ireland, (but having declared my intention of becoming acitizen of the United States,) residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,have invented a Towing-Indicator, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention consists of means adapted to be carried or acted upon bythe towing-hawser of a towboat for the purpose of indicating to thehelmsman of a towed barge during thick weather either the position ofthe towboat or the position of the barge ahead should there be more thanone barge in the tow, either one acting as a towing medium.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation, showing atowboat having a barge in tow and also illustrating my invention. Fig. 2is a perspective View of the position-indicator. Figs. 3 and 4 are sideand end elevations, respectively, of the same; and Fig. 5 is a diagramview in plan, showing in full lines a tow under normal conditions, thetowboat and barges being in a straight line, and showing in dotted linespossible divergent courses of the towboat and barges should they becomehidden from each other because of thick weather.

With the ordinary method of towing barges it has been almost impossibleto proceed at sea during thick weather owing to the fact that thetowboatis hidden from the helmsman of the forward barge and each bargeof the tow is hidden from the helmsmen of the succeeding barges.Instances are well known of tows getting so far out of the course of thetowboat as to tear the entire bow off the forward barge or the towingapparatus out of the towboat, such accidents being due to the sidestrain put upon the towing apparatus or barge connection by reason ofthe angle of the tow-rope. The result of either accident is the loss ofthe tow.

My invention consists of an indicator to be carried or acted upon by thehawser near the bow of a towed barge and within plain sight of thehelmsman of said barge and serving to indicate any lateral deflection ofthe hawser from a fore-and-aft line, so that the position of the towboator the position of the barge Serial No. 724,084. (No model.)

ahead may always be known and the course of the towed barge changed tocorrespond with any change in the course of the boat or barge ahead.

In Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, 1 represents the towboat; 2, thehawser; 3, the barge, and 4 the indicator, carried by the hawser justforward of the bow of the barge.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a perspective view of the indicator and the framefor supporting the same, and Figs. 3 and 4 are side and frontelevations, respectively, of the indicator, its frame, and the saddle bymeans of which it rides on the hawser.

5 represents the day-mark, which is preferably disk-shaped and may be ofany color easily distinguishable, and 6 is a lantern carried just belowthe day-mark for use at night.

7 is the frame of the indicator, preferably of the shape shown. Thisframe is tubular and comprises the upper and lower curved portions 8 and9 and the vertical connecting members 10. The frame is pivotally hung toa saddle 11, adapted to ride on the hawser, and is maintained in theupright position by means of a weight 12,provided with a threaded endadapted to a threaded socket 14: in the lower part 9 of the frame 7. Therod or standard 15, carrying the day-mark 5 and the lantern 6, isthreaded at its lower end and is adapted to a threaded socket 16 in theupper part 8 of the indicator-frame. One of the vertical members 10 ofthe indicator-frame 7 has a portion 17 hinged at 18 and adapted to beopened, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4, whereby theframe may beplaced in the proper position on the hawser. The saddle 11, adapted toride on the hawser, is preferably made of sheet metal, semicircular inshape, and is provided with pivot-pins 19, adapted to journal-bearings20, carried by the vertical members 10 of the indicator-frame 7. An eye21 is secured to the rear end of the saddle 11, to which a lanyard 22 isattached, by which means the saddle may be maintained in a certainposition on the hawser with relation to the barge. While I have shownthe indicator-frame pivoted to the saddle and prefer this construction,this is not essential, as the frame could be fixed to the saddle withoutaltering the effect of the indicator.

Under normal conditions the weight 10 will be sufficient to maintain theindicator-frame in an upright position. Should fog or storm beaccompanied by wind, however, there might be a tendency of the frame tobe moved out of the vertical by the turning of the saddle on the hawser.To prevent this, the saddle may be secured to the hawser in any desiredmanner.

In Fig. 5 I have shown in full lines a tow proceeding under normalconditions, the towboat and barges being arranged in a straight linefore and aft. In dotted lines is indicated the position the tow mightassume when the towboat becomes invisible in thick weather. Under suchconditions abnormal strains would be exerted upon the towing apparatusand connections of the towboat and barges and accidents such as beforenoted would occur. The same result would happen should the towboat startback to look up the tow. \Vith the use of my indicator, however, thedanger of such accidents is obviated, and the helmsmen of the differentbarges may always know the position of the boat ahead of them and actingas the towing medium.

Vhile I always prefer to mount the indicator upon the towing-hawser, myinvention includes an indicator however mounted when said indicator isso acted upon by said towinghawser as to indicate a port or starboarddeflection of the same.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent- 1. The combination of a barge or other vessel, atowing-boat, a towing-hawser between the barge and the towing-boat, andan indicator mounted on the hawser.

2. The combination of a barge, a towingboat, a towing-hawser between thebarge and the towing-boat, and an indicator carried by a saddle adaptedto ride on the hawser.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a towing-indicator comprising aframe, signaling devices carried by said frame and a saddle adapted toride on a hawser and to which the said frame is pivoted.

4.. The combination in a towing-indicator of the frame, a signal carriedby the same, a saddle to which said frame is pivoted, and means formaintaining said frame in an upright position.

5. The combination in a towing-indicator of the frame, a saddle to whichsaid frame is pivoted, indicating marks carried by the frame, said framehaving a hinged portion by which it may be adapted to the hawser.

6. The combination in a towing-indicator of the frame, a saddle to whichsaid frame is pivoted and which is adapted to ride on the hawser, andmeans carried by said saddle for securing it to the h'awser whereby theframe will be maintained in an upright position.

7. The combination in a towing-indicator of the frame, a saddle to whichsaid frame is pivoted and which is adapted to ride on a hawser, and aweight carried by the frame for maintaining the same in an uprightposition.

8. The combination in a towing-indicator of the frame, a saddle to whichsaid frame is pivoted, and a lanyard connected to the saddle formaintaining it in the proper position on the hawser with relation to thebarge.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHAS. XV. SHA\V.

Witnesses:

MURRAY 0. Bovine, J os. II. KLEIN.

